So my alternator shat on me (everything went really dim while driving, then never started up again). I replaced it. Charged the battery on my handy home battery charger and drove around. The only problem is that when the alternator went, the radio did this thing where the speakers would stop working when I accelerated and come on when I was near a stop. I think anything less than 1k rpms, the radio works.

I came out this morning to go to work and everything was 100% dead (no lights, no clock. nothing). After the alternator shat but before I replaced it, the door locks would still work and the on board clock would work.

My bud guesses something in my radio died and is pulling a load when off. And/Or my battery won't hold a charge. Ideas? I'm desperate to get my car back on the road. I keep bumming off my fiance and I have to drive her to work every day.

 

Check your backup fuse and simply buy a new battery...Home battery charger? lol..Go to Autozone

 

Long day >_< Took the battery to advance and had them test it, it was quite dead. So I got a new one and took out the fuses for the stereo and amp and such. So the car drove fine. Did a few errands, went to the in-laws and all good.

I'm driving home and all of a sudden the car stutters and almost dies. I'm now flooring it and the car is jutting then dying. Just a really bad jerk all the way back to my house (less than a block). I turn off the car and try to start it again. I just get a click.

So I go inside to find a flashlight. Only find a lighter though. Everything LOOKS fine. I had to redo some wiring for the alternator but it all looks fine. I try to start the car again and its all fine. Drives around the block ok and everything. WTF?

I'm taking it to Moore tomorrow morning and getting Molly re-inspected. I got it fixed up today so it should pass tomorrow. *shrugs* I'm tired of this ****. If they can't fix it, I dunno what I'm going to do. I can't sell a car that doesn't run for long.

 

any theories why it's doing this?

I think either the voltage regulator is going, my wiring is shotty (possible), or the new serpentine belt lengthened and is slipping.

 

Have you checked all your grounds? Something may have come loose when you swapped the alternator. A bad / loose ground can cause a lot of trouble.

I was having a weird electrical problem with mine for a while where the radio and lights would go off, the car would die, and then the lights and radio would come back on. I later found that the bolt that grounds the negative battery cable to the body under the airbox was missing (dumbass previous owner). No problems since!

 

get your CEL checked out. Could be your MAF sensor crapping out on you

 

I'll check under the airbox. That sounds like something plauseable I guess. I checked the alternator again and the car died the moment I took the negative terminal off of the battery the car died. I think I got a bunk reman alternator so I'm taking it back in.

All the wiring is decent around the alternator and A/C. The stereo did act up the moment all this stuff happened and hasn't been the same since but I unplugged the fuses and the car only pulls 0.02 miliamps when off.

CEL? The car doesn't throw a CEL.

thanks for the input guys.

PS: can anyone take a picture of their connector to the alternator so I can tell which color wire goes where? MAYBE I swapped them on accident.